Voltage stabilizing amplifier system for neutron detectors



Dec. 8,

1953 K. c. cRuMRlNE Erm. 2,662,188

VOLTAGE STABILIZING AMPLIFIER SYSTEM FOR NEUTRON DETECTORS Filed March l1, 1950 3 ,20 /25 (7l [f4/wf f5 "1 24 /W/aZ//r/f i 7/6 0;//Z/770/y Patented Dec. 8, 1953 VOLTAGE STABILIZING AMPLIFIER SYSTEM FOR NEUTRON DETECTORS Kenneth C. Crumrine, Tulsa, Okla., and Roy P. Mazzagatti, Hauston, Tex., assignors to The rI exas Company, New York, N. Y., a corporation of Delaware Application March 11, 1950, Serial No. 149,165

2 claims. (c1.v 25o-83.6)

The present invention relates to the operation of radiation detectors of the counter type and more particularly to methods and circuits for the operation and control of such radiation detectors in the range in which they operate as proportional counters. The present invention is particularly intended for` use in applications in which the detector is subjected to radiations of varying types and in which it is desired to select and indicate or record responses due to certain types of radiation while eliminating those due to other types. Thus the invention is particularly applicable to the discriminatory indication or recording of the intensity of radiation due to alphaparticles or to alpha particles and protons in the presence of radiation due to beta particles or gamma rays. The invention is employed, for example, in what is known as neutron well logging, in which it is desired to indicate or record the intensity of the scattered slow neutron radiation from structural formations bombarded by neutrons while eliminating or suppressing responses to gamma rays coming directly from the radiation source or being scattered by the surrounding material and also those due to natural or induced gamma rays from the formations.

Y In connection with the present invention, the detectors employed are of the counter or pulseproducing type and are operated in a range of applied voltages in which the size or amplitude of the pulses varies with the initial ionization caused by the radiation or particle producing the pulse; i. e., in what is known as the proportional counter range. When slow neutrons are to be detected, the counter is sensitized so that the slow? "1 neutrons or a certain proportion thereof passing through the eld in which the counter is located will produce ionizing particles. Such sensitization is effected, for example, by coating the cathode elements of the detector with boron or lith-i ium compounds, for example, boron carbide, or by employing Within the detector a vapor or gaseous iilling which includes boron fluoride. When so sensitized, bombardment with slow neutrons will cause the production of alpha particles from the isotopes of the boron or lithium compound used for sensitizing the detector.

The detector is at the same time sensitive to gamma rays, bombardment with which causes emission of beta particles. Thus the detector produces pulses as a result of the impingement of both slow neutrons and gamma rays. A detector suitable for use in accordance wtih the present invention is shown in the U. S. Letters Patent No. 2,462,471 granted to K. C. Crumrine February 22, 1949,

f as those previously referred to.

.than those resulting from the action of gamma rays when the detector is oeprated in the proportional counter range; that is, under applied voltages below those of the operating range of the Geiger-Mueller counter, in which the size of the pulses becomes substantiailly independent of the initial ionization of the particles producing them.

Diiiiculty arises in the use of radiation detectors in the proportional counter range and particularly in such discriminatory use as is hereinbefore referred to, in-that such-counters are sensitive to even small changes in the voltage applied across the electrodes of the detector, such changes resulting both in changes of pulse size or amplitude and in the number of pulses produced in a field of given intensity or radiation. Such variations in voltage may result from changes in a self-contained high voltage source applied across the counter, such as a battery, or from changes in A. C. line current which may be transmitted down a bore hole to energize the power supply circuits of the counter. Similar variations may occur as a result of variations in the voltages impressed on the plates of tubes used in the amplifying and selecting or discriminating circuits with which the detector is coupled. In applications such as well logging suchchanges are likely to occur. In accordancewith the present invention, the operation of the detector and the discriminatory action of the circuits-associated with it are stabilized at a predetermined level irrespective of changes in the voltage such In accordance with the present invention. the detector is associated with an amplifier channel or circuit in which, preferably after direct linear ampliiication of the pulses derived from the detector, any pulses of lesser amplitude than those due to the alpha rays are eliminated bv control of the bias voltage on the control grid of one of the tubes in the amplifying circuit. generally a tube which receives the output pulses-from the detector in positivepolarity and after they have been linearly amplified. The grid bias of this tube may be pre-set so as to eliminate pulses of an amplitude less'than a particular value at the normal and desired operating voltage at the which may a single or a multiple able high voltage source counter, which may be, for example, 1000 volts. Assuming a constant neutron iiux, if the voltage on the counter be increased somewhat, say to 1010 volts, the amplitudes of the pulses formed within the counter as well as the number of detectable pulses is increased. So likewise, if the voltage on the counter should decrease somewhat, say to 990 volts, there will be a decrease in amplitude and number of detectable pulses generated within the counter. in the plate voltages applied to the selecting or discriminating tube and to the amplifyingA tubes preceding it may cause variations in the number and size of pulses transmitted' by the selecting tube.

In accordance with the presentV invention, the number of pulses passed by the discriminating amplifier or tube, with constant neutron ux, is held constant irrespective of such changes. in voltage across the counter, or in the plate circuits of the tubes or other words, changes in voltage are automaticallycompensated for in the operation of the discriminating system. `'I'his is effected by automatically changing the grid bias on the discriminating amplifier with changes in voltage as above referred to through a control circuit in which such voltage changes ai- 'fect the emissivity of thefcathode iilament of an electron tube which `controls the bias on the grid ofthe said discriminating amplifier.

Circuits diagrammatically illustrating the present invention are shown in the accompanying drawings in which Fig. 1 is a diagrammatic drawing of a circuit embodying the present invention; and

Fig. 2 is a diagrammatic drawing of another circuit embodying the present invention.

Referring more particularly to the circuit of Fig. 1, the numeral I designates a detector,

scribed in the Crumrine Patent No. 2,462,471 above referred to, and'which is sensitized so that it responds to slow neutron bombardment. It is shown schematically and asis apparent, may be detector. The cathode of the detector is shown as being grounded through the conductor` I I. The necessary high voltage for operation of the detector is supplied from a suit- `through the resistor I2. Y As has been `pointed out above, the detector is operated with the applied high voltage across its electrodes of. an order vsuch vthat it acts as a proportional counter. Thus, for a detector of the type illustrated in the previous application above referred to, this voltage may be in the range Vof 600 to 1200 volts. In the circuit illustrated and describedherein, lthe particular intended range of operation is .in the order of 1000 to 1060 volts. Gamma'ravs which vcause the emission of beta particles within the detector, result in pulses of .smaller magnitude; Vand slow neutrons, which cause the emission oi alpha particles from the sensitizing material used in the detector, cause the productionV ofipulses oi! ylarger magnitude.

The pulses which are 4produced within the detector appear at its anode as negative pulses and are transmitted through coupling condenser I3 to an ampliiier or amplifying train indicated at I4, in which they .are linearly ampliiied and from which they are transmitted as positiveampliiied `pulses .through `coupling condenser I5 to the grid .I6 :of the Vdiscriminating,ampliiier I1. Suitable means for linearly amplifying .and .re-

versing the pulses :from ,the detector are shown,

for example, in the U. S. .Patent NO. 2.5571536 Similarly, variations suitably be of the type def 4 which issued to Kenneth C. Crumrine on June 19, 1951, and was assigned to the assignee herein. Such ampliiication may be effected, for example, by means of a pentode tube such as an 1852 tube or by means of a triode, for example, by the use of one triode section of a 7F7 twin triode tube. The tube employed should be one suitable for amplification of a wide range of frequencies and having low capacitances.

The discriminator tube I1 is preferably a Class A amplifying tube having characteristics generally similar to those hereinbefore referred to and may similarly be a pentode tube such as an 1852 tube or a triode, such as the triode section of av 'TF7V tube. In the drawings, such a triode section is diagrammatically illustrated. The cathode I8 is grounded, suitably through a resistor I9. The necessary voltage for the plate of the tube |11 is impressed upon the plate, suitably through the resistor 2|. The bias on the control grid I6 of the tube I 1 is controlled so that it varies -as a function of the voltage applied across the detector bythe operation of the circuit as hereinafterv described.

The operation of the tube I1 is such as to eliminate responses due to gamma rays, deliver- 'ing substantially onlyy pulses due to alpha particles within the detector resulting from neutron bombardment. These are delivered through coupling condenser 23 to' a suitable utilization device 2d, such as any of a plurality of recording or indicating means of known types.

The circuit for control of the grid bias on the tube I1 from the high voltage source, in this instance, for the detector, will now be described. The voltage from the high voltage source is impressed upon resistor 25 and potentiometer resistor 21, which are in series. From a suitable point on potentiometer 21 a conductor 28 leads to the control grid 29 of an electron discharge tube Sii, which may suitably be an ampliiier tube, such as a SAG? power tube. A positive voltage is impressed upon the cathode 3l of the tube 30, for example, through the battery 32, a suitable voltage being 16.5 volts. The necessary plate voltage is impressed upon the `plate 33 of the tube 30 from any suitable source, for example, the battery 3l.

' A suitable voltage is, for example, 225 volts. The screen grid of tube is maintained at plate voltage and the suppressor vgrid at cathode voltage. The tap point onvpotentiometer 21 is chosen to provide a slight grid bias of, say, 1.8 volts on thehcontrol grid 29 with respect to the cathode.

The plate current of the tube 30 is superimposedon `the heating current of the filament or cathode 35 of thegtriode 36,which is preferably a tube operating-with a low'lament voltage, such as a lGaG tube and is of the directly heated filament type. The normal heating circuit for the filament includes a battery 31 and a potentiometer 38.

The cathode is connected through resistor 39, plate battery 40 and potentiometer 4I to the plate 42 oftube 36, the circuit being grounded on .thepositive side of the battery 40 through the conductor 43. The grididtof the tube 35 is connpotentiometer is selected to provide the desired negative .bias-Voltage on -the control grid of tube I-1 to eliminate `from its output pulses except those due to alpha'particles.

In a, circuit as illustrated in Fig. 1, in which the counter is intended to operate at a normal voltage of 1050 volts, the resistor I2 may suitably have a resistance of 0.1 megohm, the resistor a resistance of 0.5 megohm, and the potentiometer resistor 21 a resistance of 10,000 ohms. The coupling condenser i3 may have a capacity of 0.00005 microfarad and the condensers i 5 and 23 each a capacity of 0.001 microfarad. The lament heating battery 31 may have a, voltage of 3 volts and the control potentiometer 35 a resistance of 600 ohms. The resistance of the resistor 39 may suitably be 2000 ohms and that of the potentiometer resistor IH may be 15,000 ohms. The resistance of resistor 46 may suitably be 0.5 megohm; that of resistor l 9, 2,000 ohms and that of resistor 2l, 100.000 ohms.

In operation, in a specific illustrative instance, the parts are adjusted with 1,050 volts impressed across the counter, to provide a bias voltage on the control grid of tube i1 of -1.85 volts, the lament heating circuit for the cathode 35 of tube 36 being 26 milliamperes. With an increase in the voltage of the high voltage current applied to the counter, the voltage on the control grid 29 of the tube 30 becomes more positive. This results in an increase in the plate current, with a corresponding increase in the heating current of the filament 35 of tube 30. The temperature of the filament is accordingly increased,

with a rapid increase in emissivity at the cathode of the tube 35. This causes a sharp response in the plate current with a drop in voltage at the point at which potentiometer di is tapped by conductor 41, resulting in an increase in negative voltage or bias of the grid I6 of the tube I1. As will be apparent, a reverse action takes place on decrease in the high voltage applied across the counter. In the illustrative instance, for example, on increase of the voltage applied across the counter to 1,065 volts, the negative voltage on the grid of tube l1 increased to 2.05 volts; andon decrease of the applied high voltage to 1,035 volts the bias voltage on the grid of tube l1 decreased to 1.65 volts.

With an illustrative circuit of the character hereinbefore described, with the counter subjected to a constant neutron iiux, the counting rate of the pulses delivered by the tube I 1 was held substantially constant over the range of voltages applied across the counter of from about 1,010 volts to about 1,065 volts, a range which exceeds the normal variations to which that voltage might ordinarily be subject.

The present invention may also be employed in a system where variations in counting rate may be due to changes in voltage elsewhere than at the source of the high voltage impressed across the detector electrode, for example, to variations in the voltage applied to the plate of the discriminator tube or of one or more of the ampliers preceding it in the counting circuit. In Fig. 2 such a system is shown in connection with an unstabilized source of direct current voltage for the plate circuit of the discriminator tube.

In Fig. 2, the numeral 50 designates a detector of the type referred to in connection with Fig. 1; that is, a detector operating in the proportional counter range and sensitized to respond to slow neutron bombardment. The cathode of the detector 50 is shown as being grounded through the conductor 5|. The necessary high voltage for operation of the detector is supplied from a suitable voltage source through the resistor 52.

The negative pulses resulting from the emission nnh) character as is referred to in connection with theA discriminator tube i1 of Fig. 1. The control grid of tube 51 is biased to eliminate responses of radiations Within the detector, except those due to alpha particles resulting from slow neutron bombardment. The circuits for operation of the tube 51 will be hereinafter described. The pulses due to alpha particles within the detector are delivered from the plate circuit of the tube 51 through coupling condenser 58 to a suitable utilization device 59.

The circuits for operation of the discriminator tube 51 are derived from a voltage source which may be, for example, in the system illustrated, an unstabilized positive direct current voltage source of say about 300 volts, impressed upon the conductor 50. The voltage for the plate Si of tube 56 is taken off the conductor 60 through the resistor 62. The cathode 53 is connected through resistor 64 and a tap 65 to the potentiometer S0 in the conductor 50 and in this Way a suitable voltage diierential between the plate 5i and the cathode 63 of tube 51 may be maintained.

Between the potentiometer 65 and the regulator tube 14, a connection from the line G0 extends through resistor 68 to the plate E9 of a control tube 10 having a directly heated cathode lament 1l. This tube is preferably a tube of the same character as the tube 3S of Fig. 1 and may be, for exampley a triode such as a lGlG tube. From the potentiometer 68, a tap 12 leads to a resistor 13 and to the grid 55 of the discriminator tube 51, a suitable bias voltage being thus provided on the latter.

From the line 60 beyond the potentiometer 66 another tap leads to the gaseous regulator tube l 11i and to ground. The regulator tube 14 may be,

for example, a VR tube. A suitable resistor 15 is provided in the line leading from regulator tube 14 to ground and the two ends of the heating circuit of the cathode filament 1I of the tube 10 are connected to opposite ends of the resistor 15.

As will be readily apparent, with any changes of the voltage on the line 50, and hence on the plate circuit of the discriminator tube 51, the current through the directly heated cathode filament of the tube 1l will be directly aiected and the resulting changes in its emissivity will result in corresponding changes in the plate circuit through the tube 10 and inversely aiect the voltage on the grid 56 of the discriminator tube 51. Thus, with increases in the voltage in line $0, the negative bias on the grid 56 of tube 51 will be increased and with decreases in the voltage applied to line G, the reverse change will take place.

Thus, with any increase in voltage on the line 50, there will be a slight increase in voltage across the resistor 15 and upon the cathode lament 1l of tube 10. This will result in a greater now of current through the tube 10 and a decrease in voltage at the point on the potentiometer 68 with which the tap 12 is in contact. A corresponding increase in bias on the grid 56 of tube 51 takes place. On decrease in the voltage on the line 60, the reverse action takes place and the bias on thesrid 5,@ of the discriminatpriube 5l iS decreased.

`Ina circuit as. illustratedin-Fig. 42, inwhicil the detector is intendedto operate at a normal voltage of 1000 volts and thejvoltage impressed on the conductor 00 of about 300'volts, the resistance of resistor 52 may suitably be 0.1 megohrn. The capacity of coupling condenser 53 may be 0.00005 microfarad and the capacities of condensers 55 and 58 may each be 0.001 microfarad. The resistance of resistor 64 may be 50,000 ohms and that of resistor 62 0.1 megohm. The resistances of potentiometer'resistors 66 and 6i.- may be 5000 ohms and 50,000 ohms respectively. The resistance of resistor 'I3 may be 0.05 megohm, and that of resistor l5 in a range to provide a current through the lament of tube 10 of the order of 8 to 34 milliamperes. A suitable resistance for the resistor 75 is in the order of 150 ohms.

In a circuit as above described, Withthe voltage impressed upon the conductor 60 in the order of +300 volts, with a detector operating in a stabilized high voltage of 1000 volts across the electrodes and with a constant neutron ux, a Substantially constant counting rate Was secured in the output from the discriminator tube with variations in the voltage on plate 5l ranging from 240 to 260 volts.

Although the present invention has been described in connection with the specic details of certain circuits or systems embodying the sarna, it will be understood that it is not to be limited to the details thereof except in so far as embodied in the accompanying claims.

We claim:

1. Electrical apparatus comprising a detector tube for converting radiation into electrical pulses; a pulse-amplitude-selective tube having at least a cathode, an anode, and a control electrode; means electrically connecting the output of the detector tube to said control electrode to apply said pulse thereto in positive polarity; a source of direct high voltage energizing potential ef: l)

8 forl at leastone of said tubes, said energizing potential being subject to unintended variations; means for applying a negative threshold-bias btween the control electrode land cathode of vsaid selective tube; means responsive to variations in said energizing potential for correspondingly varying saidV threshold negative bias, said means including a control ftube having a therrnonic cathodea heater `circuit for applying direct current to heat said thermionic cathode, means coupled Vbetween said source of direct high voltage energizing potential and said heater `circuit for varying the direct current heating of said thermionic cathode in `accordance with 'said variations in said energizing potential, an anode in said control tube, anode circuit Ameans for producing a bias voltage varying in accordance with the variations in energizing potential and cathode heating, and means for applyingbetWeen-said control electrodevand cathode-of the selective .tube voltage changes produced in the anode circuit of the control tube. Y 2. Apparatus as in claim yl in which saidlthermionic cathode of the control tube includes a heater and said means for varying the direct current heating of said thermionic cathode comprises an ampliner tubevvhose control grid isconnected to said source'o'f energizingpotential and whose anode-cathode circuit is connected in series with the heater of said thermionic cathode.

-KENNETH C. CRUMRINE.

RQY` P. MAZZAGATTI.

References Cited in the file -of this patent Urn'rrin STATES YPATENTS Number Name Date 1,778,058 IBarton Oct. 14, 1930 1,931,070 Gullner et al Oct. 17, 1933 2,063,304 Farrow, Jr. Deo, 8,1936 2,237,409 'Burnside c, Apr. 8, 1941 2,468,082 Chatterjea A131226, 1948 

